Sunday, 7 September 2014

Mirror Work

-Brian Mendonça

Among the myriad ethnic
styles of clothing and furnishings some of the most fascinating are those with
mirror work. Gujarat and Rajasthan are particularly outstanding in this
respect. Intricate mirror work from these states on bedspreads and garments for
ladies will greet you at any haat or
outlet for selling traditional hand-made linen and apparel.

The mirror is a reflection of
our self. It invites us to think of who we are. Of course, this train of
thought has been mined excessively by writers and poets – and psychologists.
Academicians do not lag far behind. In my college days I hung around at a
seminar held by the Department of Spanish titled, ElEspejo y la Mirada or
‘The Mirror and the Gaze’ – a retrospective of Spanish film directors
showcasing Almodóvar and his ilk.

The use of a mirror when
driving or riding cannot be overstated. In those precious micro-seconds you
take your eyes off the road in front of you, to gaze in the mirror for traffic
behind, you flirt with death. For, given the chaotic conditions of driving
today a cow may choose just that moment to cross your path, or a vehicle cut in
from the byway ahead.

Recently I found myself
driving to Panjim to participate in the annual poetry reading organized at
Institute Menezes Braganza, on the eve of Independence Day. It was early
evening on a Thursday after a late lunch at Agassaim. The traffic ahead, as I
beheld the Bambolim slope, was unusually heavy, being a long weekend – and
frenetic. As I was passing Mi Casa,
Shiridao I heard a sickening crash and the splintering of glass followed by a
thud. I was stunned. The rear view mirror on my right had been smashed by an
oncoming vehicle bearing down at great speed. Shards of glass filled the car,
but I was unharmed. The brown scapular of Mary, Queen of Carmel was still tied
to my steering wheel. Rather than get into a hostile situation I chose to press
on to Panjim where I read my poetry, though somewhat shaken.

In a four-wheeler you need to
look not at one mirror but three, sometimes four. In an ever-changing, dynamic situation you
need all these ‘friends’ to guide you on. Of course, like friends, they
sometimes ditch you. Experienced drivers are familiar with the ‘blind spot’
which is now a general term to mean anything (usually hostile) which is very
close to you but you cannot (or refuse to) see it. While driving this is an
area which none of the mirrors covers and is usually present when a vehicle is
overtaking on any side. With the penchant
of drivers to overtake on the wrong side, i.e. on the left, it is critical to
be able to, sometimes, drive safely sans
mirrors.

Mirrors are part of our
lives. We owe our lives to them. Vaibhav at the car service centre put it
succinctly, ‘Mirror sambalyar gaddi
samaita.’ [‘If you protect the mirror, you protect the car.’]